


The Gambler

by astrocos (Piercy_wearcy)



Series: The Wilsons - NovaHD Family AU [1]
Category: Cow Chop, The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Family, Fluff, Hiding Medical Issues, M/M, Song fic, family au, remembering the past, the gambler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6852991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piercy_wearcy/pseuds/astrocos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Aleks are getting older, Kids are out of the house and retirement is around the corner. Promises made all those years ago, when life seemed so long hopeful, coming back to them. The thought of the future brings fear and concern this time around, but the same promises made.</p><p>Based on the song: The Gambler by Fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gambler

**Author's Note:**

> I really want to make this a series, little snippets of their life together. trying to raise two kids, family drama, getting married, friends and family, the whole shebang!

**_Slow down, we've got time left to be lazy_ **

**_All the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes_ **

 

I let out an exasperated sigh as I hear the door to our bedroom click close, ’sneaking out to the garden again’ I mumble to myself as I pull the covers away from my body and stretch out my arms with a satisfying pop from my shoulders. I shuffle out of the bed slowly making my way to standing on the soft padded area rug around the bed, I turn towards the dresser taking the time to glance at the photos lining the edge of the large mirror. Old pictures of kids, friends, friends grand kids, but none of our own grand babies (yet), my attention is pulled away when the door creeks open slowly

“I really need to oil that” James says quietly as if not to disturb anyone

“Yes you do” I say, turning back to the dresser to open one of its drawers. James jumps at my voice staring wide eyed like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, his expression softens after a few moments. He chuckles lightly earning my attention

“What?” I ask looking over at him

“You were up when I left weren’t you?” he ask

“Yes” I state looking back to the picture on the mirror, features softening at the memories “I’ve known you for over 30 years James, I know these things”

“I know” he says fondly walking behind me to stand at my left, he reaches out carefully pressing a photo flat against the glass. The picture held the image of James and I holding Joe when we had first received him, the tired baby asleep in my arms, bright smiles plastered across our faces. We had the sparkle of youth in or eyes, no idea what the rest of our life with our baby boy would be like “Oh I know”

I look over to him, his dark long curls had started to go grey, and my hair had gone grey completely before I had turned 40 but I dyed it in denial of my old age. But James, his age never did catch up to him until he had his 35th birthday, but he still held that glint in his eye just like in the photo. I pull a tennis ball out of the open drawer and place it into James’ hand, I grab a short thick elastic band out before shutting the drawer.

“Go do your physio in the den” I say leaving the bedroom, walking down the hall to the open kitchen/living room. I make my way around the kitchen turning on the coffee pot, pulling out mugs, plates, the toaster and the bread.

 

****

**_We've got fifty good years left to spend out in the garden_ **

**_I don't care to beg your pardon, we should live until we die_ **

 

“I want to go check on the tulips” he calls down the hall after me, pulling his slipper clad feet across the hardwood floors like a child

“You will have plenty of time to do that before you die” I say stopping my actions to speak over my shoulder to him

“Pardon me?” he asks stopping in his tracks as well

“Don’t “pardon me” me” I say opening the bread bag “We have plenty of time to spend out in the garden before our time comes to leave the world, so you can spend breakfast time with me”

He places his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out in a flamboyant stance

“Don’t over work yourself! Go to bed earlier! Take your medication! Get out of the garden, dinner is just about ready and you’ll get your hands dirty!” he says putting on a mocking tone, repeating the words I’ve said to him so many times before

“Listen here pall I didn’t come here to be insulted” I say in mock anger

“Oh, well where d’you usually go?” he asks me, quoting the movie word for word. Our daughter Stephanie had watched quest for Camelot over so many times when she was young I still see the double headed dragon bickering when I close my eyes. I can tell James is thinking of the same thing I was, she played the VHS tape until its tape unwound into the machine and we had to get a new video player.

“Those were the days” James says cutting my thoughts short “When Joseph and Stephanie were still so young”

“And so were we” I say continuing his sentence

“What do you mean Aleksandr?” James scoffs, pulling his free hand to his chest in mock pain

 

**_We were barely eighteen when we crossed collective hearts_ **

**_It was cold, but it got warm when you barely crossed my eye_ **

 

“I’ve known you the majority of my life” I say turning fully towards him, leaning back on the counter “We were so young, you the farmer boy with an eye for daises”

“And you” he says, leaning forward on the island separating us “Were the freshest of the bunch”

“Oh so that’s why you picked me?” I ask raising my brows

“You know the story Aleks”

I’ve heard the tale time and time again, but the light that glints in James’ eye when he tells it makes it timeless

“It was the senior dance at our high school, last chance to get done what I’d always wanted to do”

“Dance with me” I say finishing another one of his thoughts, I smile back to the fond memory. If you would have told eighteen year old me that his soulmate would be in his class since kindergarten he would have laughed in your face, one because he didn’t find any of the girls attractive and two none of the guys would have an eye for him. In small towns anyone out of the status quo was weird, being gay wasn’t an option and if you were you hid it. Just like I had, from myself and those around me.

****

**_And then you turned, put out your hand, and you asked me to dance_ **

**_I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight_ **

 

“The hill Billy and the band geek, who would have guessed” I say folding my arms over my chest

“I was so nervous” James says “I confided in Eddie for a month before I had the guts to even talk to you”

I just smile and nod at the fond memory, everyone around us was just as shocked as I was. Word got around and we had to play it off like it never happened, just two guy dancing having a good time.

“I thought you were going to turn me down” he says standing up straight, leaning back to crack the joints in his back

“Now look at us” I say motioning to the both of us “Two wonderful children, a nice home”

“A large garden and a hefty pension on the way” James adds onto the list

I nod and turn back to the task at hand, placing the bread in the toaster I move on to the fresh pot of coffee sitting in its burner. I pour the piping hot drink into the two mugs on the counter, almond milk for me and two teaspoons of sugar for James.

We dress our toast and go to sit out on the back deck, flowers and grow pots with premature vegetables lined the hand rails and seats. Sitting beside each other in our usual spots we settle down, looking out to the back yard. Ivy clung to the high latus fences along the perimeter of our property, small flower beds lined the outside lilac bushes in each corner and a large garden lay partially hidden by the garage to the right side of the yard.

****

**_I swear when I grow up I won't just buy you a rose_ **

**_I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely_ **

 

“I broke my promise” James says pulling me out of my thoughts, I glance to him over the rim of my mug

“Pardon?” I ask taking a small sip

“I told you I’d get you a flower shop” he looks over at me locking eyes “All I’ve gotten so far is this”

I follow his hand as he motions to the yard, scoffing I set my coffee down onto the table between us. I remember the nights we spent on the hood of his truck in some distant field, we’d gaze at the stars for hours, hold each other, make out, and ‘other’ things. We had our first real date after moving out of the city together, no longer restricted by the prying eyes of the small town. James had felt bad for only buying me a single rose telling me I deserved more but we didn’t have the money, he promised me the world that night being sure to include a flower shop in that promise.

“How have I put up with you this long?” I ask rolling my eyes

“Because you love me”

“Whoa” I say in a defensive tone “we’ve only been married 28 years I don’t know if I’m ready for the L word yet”

I watch James features move from confused to a smile as he gets the joke, we laugh along beside each other. Continuing to sit in comfortable silence we finish up our breakfast, just sitting beside each other listening to the birds

 

**_For even if the sun stops waking up over the fields_ **

**_I will not leave, I will not leave 'til it's our time_ **

**_So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side_ **

 

“Ah fuck!”

My head shoots up from the soapy dishwater in the sink, look out the window into the back yard I see James knelt on one knee doubled over and griping his back in pain. My stomach drops as I drop the mug I had been washing, wiping my wet hands across the towel slung over my shoulder, I rip open the screen door moving as fast as I could to James’ side.

“Oh god James” say kneeling beside him my hand on his back, he flinches away from my touch and continues to wail in pain

“Get” he coughs out “The Phone”

I nod vigorously, rushing back to the house stumbling over myself. I grab the land line out of its dock and dial 911 anxiously waiting for the operator to pick up

“911 what’s your emergency?” a woman’s voice asks through the speaker

“Hi, yeah my husband collapsed in the garden”

“Is he conscious?” she asks

“Yes, but he is in a lot of pain” I say, the urgency of the situation making my words slur together

“Okay sir we are sending over an ambulance right away” the woman says, she continues to talk me thought how to help James until the ambulance knocks on the front door

 

**_It was the winter of '86, all the fields had frozen over_ **

**_So we moved to Arizona to save our only son_ **

 

It takes two rings for Joe to pick up

“Hey dad, what’s up?” he asks

“Joseph” I say, pausing to clear the sound of crying from my voice “Your fathers in the hospital”

“Oh my god” Joe says barely audible through the cell phone speaker “What happened?”

“He collapsed in the garden” I say thinking back to the panic filled time before the ambulance arrived “It’s his back again, they’ve diagnosed him with Spondylolisthesis. They’re trying to find a way to fix the problem”

There’s a pause on the line, a few slow breaths are exchanged before Joe clears his throat “Do you want me to come down? Or call Steph?” he asks

“We’ll be here for a while, no need to rush in”

“Okay, I’ll let you go then” he says “Oh and dad?”

“Yeah?” I ask, the tenderness coming through in his voice

“I love you”

“I love you too son” I say back to him “I’ll see you soon”

I end the call shortly after not ever being one for long phone calls, I pocket my cellphone and reenter the room where James lye. I sit beside the high-tech bed in one of the stiff hospital chairs, Machines on either side beep signaling the still present life in my love. I let out a large sigh letting the tension in my body leave with the breath, all the adrenalin has passed through my system leaving me tired. The ever present worry in the pit of my stomach when in hospitals still resides, but the words of my son helping ease the situation a bit.

Joseph was a blessing, when he was diagnosed with severe asthma at the age of four, it sent us in and out of the hospital. Each time his lungs would falter, fail or anything of that sorts we were sent into a panic, rushing to the hospital hoping he would be okay and he could breathe. This left a distaste for hospitals in my mouth even when we were there for Stephanie’s birth, the ever present panic of hospitals was there.

 

**_And now he's turned into a man, though he thinks just like his father_ **

**_He believes we're all just lovers, he sees hope in everyone_ **

 

Joe turned out to be just like his father, open minded, kind hearted and the most beautiful smile. He was always the one to calm Stephanie down when she cried before either James or I could get to them, proving himself to be a great older brother protecting and helping his little sister through any hardships in life and school. He was such a tender soul, not afraid to cry or be feminine, comfortable with who he was, he almost cried when James had brought home a small corgi puppy by the name of Ein.

It was a shock to both James and I when he had said he wanted a career as an art director, he was never a very fine arts involved kid more focused on sports and mechanics. Working on old cars he would save up for and sell them off with the help of his friends, it wasn’t a surprise when he had brought a boy home and introduced the young man as his boyfriend. He had a few boyfriends and girlfriends after that but had stuck with a young man named spencer for the longest, they had met on campus freshman year and are still going steady. Much to James’ dismay the only hope for grandkids were Spencer and Joe as Stephanie hadn’t been very focused on relationships.

****

**_And even though she moved away, we always get calls from our daughter_ **

**_She has eyes just like her father's, they are blue when skies are gray_ **

**_And just like him she never stops, never takes the day for granted_ **

**_Works for everything that's handed to her, never once complains_ **

 

Stephanie is such a hard working young lady, earning scholarships from all over the country when she graduated high school not too long ago. She had moved out of the state, much to our protest, to attend a high end university of technological arts.

She was such a happy child, always giggling with her bright smile. She could light up a room with the warmth she radiated, but easy to let herself cry. I have a soft spot for that beautiful little girl, buying her a dog after she had cried into my shoulder for the millionth time, caused by night terrors. Mishka was allowed to sleep in her room and officially dubbed the dream catcher, she loved that dog with all her heart and the dog truly loved her back.

Steph was always involved in the fine arts from acting, stage managing and tech, taking every opportunity to get another experience down on her resume. The school supported her to the best of their ability, sending her to attend leadership conferences across the country. Her four year course has put a lot on her plate, but through it all she’s still taken the time to call us once a week.

My thoughts are cut off by a buzzing in my pocket, I pull it out quickly reading the caller ID. It was Stephanie, speak of the devil

 

“Hello?” I say accepting the call, bringing the phone to my ear

“Hey dad” she says, panic apparent in her voice “I heard papa’s in the hospital, is everything alright?”

“We’re in the hospital yes, your father collapsed in the garden today”

“Holy shit” she whispers shocked by the news “So what are they doing?”

“He’s knocked out on pain medication right now” I say “They diagnosed him with Spondylolisthesis”

“And that is?” she asks

“When a vertebrae of your spine slides up over the one above it, pinching the nerves” I recite what the doctor had told me “He’s had it for years but it wasn’t diagnosable, he just brushed it off as back pains”

“Can they do anything about it?” she asks, the worrisome tone in her voice growing “Surgery or something”

“Of course” I say, doubting the words coming out of my own mouth “They just need to find the best course of action”

“Okay” she says “I’ll let you get back to papa, keep me posted”

“I will” I assure her “Talk to you later, bye”

“Bye” I hang up and place my phone away for the second time that day, left with my thoughts

****

**_You think that I nearly lost you when the doctors tried to take you away_ **

**_Like the night you took my hand beside the fire thirty years ago to this day,_ **

 

“Mr. Wilson?” a man asks, I look up to see a man in a white lab coat presumably the doctor “I’m doctor Gidlow” he says extending a hand for me to shake

I stand to shake his hand, nodding at his question of Mr. Wilson

“As my nurse had said before your husband here has Spondylolisthesis” I nod along to his words, listening carefully to what he had to say, he scratches his beard as he glanced down at the clipboard in his hand

“There are a few courses of actions we can take to treat this, it says on his file here that he has been attending physical therapy. Is that correct?”

“Yes” I say answering his question “Twice a week at the clinic and twice a day at home”

“And has that worked to alleviate any pain?”

“He complained less” I say “But he’s a stubborn person who won’t tell me if it’s hurting or not”

“I see” he says “There are injections we can supply with more physio therapy, but surgery is also an option at this point”

There’s a lull in the conversation, my brain working a mile a minute to take in what he was telling me

“When Mr. Wilson wakes up could you please press the red button on the side of the bed to alert the nurse?”

“Of course” I say, he shakes my hand again giving me a reassuring smile

“I’ll be back to discuss the options to treat this with you two once he is awake”

I nod and sit back down, the doctor leaves and I’m left alone again

A half an hour passes until James stirs from his drug induced slumber, opening his eyes with a groan. I’m half asleep myself, the feather light touch on the side of my face stirs me back to reality. I place my hand over James’, enjoying the warmth and security he supplied.

I rang the nurse, she called the doctor and he discussed the best course of action we could take. Surgery.

“It is an easy procedure with a very, very low risk rate” Doctor Gidlow explains “But the recovery will take a long while”

“So the surgery is our best bet?” I ask still unsure, I look over at James. Fear is plastered across his face, I reach out and grab his hand giving him a reassuring squeeze

“Yes” the doctor says looking between the two “It’s your decision to make, but if your condition becomes worse there is a high risk of losing use of your legs”

I can feel James shrink away at his harsh words

“I’ll leave you two to decide” he nods and leaves the room

 

**_You swore you'd be here 'til we decide that it's our time_ **

**_But it's not time, you never quit in all your life_ **

 

“I don’t want the surgery” James says immediately after the doctor leaves

“James” I sigh “You could lose use of your legs and be in almost constant pain”

“He said that physio therapy was an option” he says quickly “Or the injections”

“Be honest to me James” I say, I see right through his calm expression “Why don’t you want the surgery”

James sighs and squeezes my hand, tears begin to gloss over his eyes as his breathing becomes uneven

“I’m not young anymore Aleks” he says vice shaky “The recovery is rough and I don’t know if I’ll make it”

“Oh James” I sigh once again “This will benefit you and your future”

He smiles at me, wiping the stray tears that had escaped onto his cheeks

“We promised to stay until it was our time, remember?” I ask

15 years ago, around the time of our wedding anniversary, I had started to have some serious health issues. It left me worn out, forcing me to stay in bed because there was nothing I could do that wouldn’t leave me exhausted. I missed work almost getting me fired, I couldn’t hold anything down without vomiting. I refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong, I ignored it to the point of James calling an ambulance because he couldn’t wake me up, it left me in the hospital hooked up to an IV and on the verge of a coma.

When I was healthy and back at home winter was in full force, we spent the night in front of the hot fire playing cards as a family until dark. Once the kids had fallen asleep and were tucked in to their beds James and I continued to talk in the den.

“Promise me you’re okay” he said holding my hand in between the two arm chairs, but he sat looking into the fire across the small cozy room

“I’m fine” I assure him pulling our linked hands to my mouth, I twist our hands to kiss his knuckles

“I was so afraid I’d lost you” he says his voice saturated in sorrow “You weren’t responding, I knew you hadn’t eaten in days and I was so, so scared”

The corner of his lips turn up. I remember because the way the golden light lit his face, painted with both sadness and hope

“I’m not leaving until it’s our time” I say into the light air between us

****

**_So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side_ **

**_You're the love of my life, you know that I will never leave your side_ **

 

“I remember”

“And it’s not our time yet” I tell him “Not for a log while now”

He smiles at that, we both know that the surgery is the best course of action for James and it’s the one we’re going to take.

A month passes and James is still in the hospital recovering, they weren’t wrong when they said it was a tough recovery. It had taken 2 weeks to get out of the hospital bed to begin physio therapy, another week to be able to walk with a walker out of the confines of the Physio room. The nurses smiled every time anyone came to visit ‘cranky Mr. Wilson in room 202’, his bright personality and fun stories had entranced the nurses earning him a nickname very much the opposite of what he was. Joe had come in many times, with and without spencer, bearing a potted plant to help lively up the grim hospital room his father was situated. The house was lonely without him there, the dogs missing him about just as much as I have.

Another month passes by slowly as he recovers further, he’s soon released from the hospital and back into our home. The little adjustments made to make it more convenient, the house cleaned from top to bottom.

 

**_You come home from work, and you kiss me on the eye_ **

**_You curse the dog, you say that I should never feed them what is ours_ **

 

“Hello!” James says as he steps through the front door for the first time in what feels like forever, the dogs skidding across the hardwood to meet him

I smile as I follow up behind him, struggling to close the door behind me with my arms full of plant

“It’s good to be back” he says throwing a ball down the hall for the dogs to chase

“It’s good to have you back” I say finally managing to shut the door and place the plants down

“It’s good to have a good back” he retorts, laughing out loud at his own joke.

I roll my eyes at his bad joke, hanging up my keys and jacket I ask for James’. We settle into the home once again, retiring to the living room the normality finally fits back into place.

“Oh shit” I say jumping up from my chair

“What! What?” James says gripping the arms of his chair

“The kids are coming home tonight”

“Oh” James says “Well let’s get dinner ready”

 

**_So we move out to the garden, look at everything we've grown_ **

**_And the kids are coming home so I'll set the table; you can make the fire_ **

 

We make our way to the kitchen, pulling vegetables out of the refrigerator. Prepping the food in calm silence, dancing around the kitchen and each other like we have a million times before. We cook the meal leaving but nothing but time to finish the meal, I stop in front of the kitchen to look at the window out to the garden.

“You planted the tomatoes well” James says beside me looking out to the window

“Just for you” I say leaning into him, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer.

We’re pulled out of our blissful moment by the sound of the oven timer, I shuffle over to turn it off with a grumble

“I’ll set the table” I say moving over to the plate cupboard “You can start the fire”  

**Author's Note:**

> this took me way to long to write man oh man, I did a bunch of research on the medical issues of James and Joe because it irks me when writing about that stuff is vague. so if you're confused about what it is I'll explain it here.
> 
> Spondylolisthesis is when a vertebra in your back slides up over another, it pinches the nerves and can cause loss of feelings in your legs, lower back pains and in rare cases loss of bowel and bladder control. it can take years of having it to even start getting symptoms because it is so gradual. In most cases physio therapy would do just fine and the injections are a second resort, surgery isn't used unless necessary. it's not risky but it has a long and hard recovery process. 
> 
> I just gave a severe case of Asthma because the original I had used (Bronchopulmonary dysplasia) was chronic and had ever lasting effects that I didn't want Joe to have (You know stuff like not working lungs and death). They hadn't known of Joe's lung condition before so when your kid stops breathing it's not a good time.


End file.
